The “furniture” of Esquire magazine is quite simple. Seeing as though the magazine itself is supposed to be simple and sophisticated, this point makes sense.
One of the first furniture aspects of Esquire is arrows. Arrows, as most know, are used to draw attention to something. Or in this case, to make a reader pay attention to a certain aspect. Esquire tends to use arrows to point the reader to a product, the beginning of an article, or an important fact that the editorial board deems interesting or necessary. Esquire has been undergoing a create overhaul, and there have been some new changes to this aspect of furniture. Instead of its previous hand-drawn or airbrush look, arrows are now straight. I think that this transition gives the arrows more of an “analytical” look instead of the fun of the animated look they once daunted. This aspect of furniture is a niche to Esquire in my opinion. These arrows work because they make the reader focus on something important.
Boxes are another form of furniture that Esquire uses. These boxes typically have a drop shadow behind them and help to create contrast. Most of the time the boxes are used to highlight the beginning of an article, a product or item, or to add contrast between the text and picture of an article. These boxes are typically white, to make readability of the text possible. With that being said, these boxes work because they add a layer of depth to a page.
Colons are used in the new design of Esquire a lot. Esquire uses them as attention-grabbers for readers. Either place at the beginning of a piece by the byline, in sections names, and sometimes in headlines, the colon is popular in Esquire. This works for Esquire because it offers another sleek and sophisticated element to the overall theme of the magazine.
Underlining is one of the least important aspects of the furniture of Esquire. The underlining takes place under words that are important, special names, and some heds. Underlines are only done in black, respectively. This works for Esquire because it allows for the reader’s eye to be drawn to something that the editorial board deems important. Also, there are sections in the magazine where lines are used to create contrast between columns and other page embellishments.
Furniture is used to do to a publication exactly what it sounds like, it’s supposed to furnish the magazine. Furniture is supposed to create an organization in a publication. The furniture must be authentic with the magazine though. All of the furniture elements of Esquire work well because they are within the brand’s aesthetic. The furniture of Esquire is fresh, sleek and sophisticated, just like the readers they try to obtain and maintain are.
